Gunner&#39;s chair



L. c. MILBURN GUNNER S CHAIR Filed June '7, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 TOR..

O2 NE YS Jari. 1,5, 1924.

F.IIIIIII ||||L Patented dan. l5, 1924.

UI'I'ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LESSITER C. MILBURN, OF EAST CLEVELANL, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE GLENN L. MARTIN COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

GUNNERS CHAIR.

Application led June 7,

T o all whom it may concern: i

Be it known that I, LEssiTER C. MILBURN, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Gunners Chairs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

It is customary at the present time to mount the machine gun of a battle plane by means of al ring carried upon the body ofthe plane and rotatable in its own plane and a frame pivoted on the ring and movable in a plane at right langles to the plane of the ring, the two pivotal movements cooperating to permit the gun mount to be pointed in any vdesired direction. wWith this construc-` tion the deck ofthe plane within the'peri# phery of the gun-mount is usually cut away so that during operation of the gun the gunner inay stand within the body of the plane with the upper part of his body projecting through the aperture. In order to rest the gunner whenever possible a chair is usually provided within the plane on which the gunner may sit when the gun is not in action. Various types of chair have been proposed for this purpose but so far as I am aware no chair heretofore used has been satisfactory principally because no chair has been properly supported, has rotated with the gun ring, or has readily moved into position where it will not interfere with the operator while the gun is Ain action. I have designed a chair which overcomes the difficulties apparently' inherent in the chairs heretofore proposed for this use.

In thev drawings accompanying this speciicationand forming a part thereof I have shown, for purposes of illustratio'n, one

physical embodiment which my inventive concept may assumeand have illustrated this embodiment in its application to a battle plane of the type herein referred to. In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the chair herein shown, Figure 2 is a plan view showing this chair apv lied to a battle plane, while figure 3 is a detail showing a means in which the chair herein shown may be supported from the gun ring.

The chair herein shown comprises a 'seat 1923.` Serial No. 643,885.

each of the sides 14 consisting of a frontstrap 16 and a rear strap 17 leading from the side of the seat 11 at the front and rear respectively and both secured to a single ring 18 and-the back 15 consisting of a pair of straps 19 carrying the canvas chair back 20 and leading from the rear of the seat 11 at its two sides to a third ring 18 similar to the ring 18 to which the side straps 16 and 17 are connected. Each of these .rings 18 is in turn carried by an adjustable strap 21 leading from a clip 22 preferably of metal and formed to irmly lock in position upon the gun ring 23 yet to be readily detachable therefrom as shown in dotted lines in Figure 3.

Tith the battle plane equipped with a chair of the type herein described the gunner may rest comfortably within the plane until he sights an object of attack and even then, because of the suspension of the chair from the gun ring and the resultant rotation of the chair with the gun ring, the gunner, after pointing the gun mount in the genera direction of the object of attack, may again seat himself in the chair and conserve his energy until the moment of actual coniict. On the other hand, during the actual hostilities when the gunner must stand and has no use for a chair but on the contrary re- 4quires the maximum space for operating, the vchair herein shown will readily swing back out of position and, because of its lightness and its method of support, will prove no embarrassment to the gunner and particularly because of its suspension from the gun ring and consequent rotation with the gun ring will be maintained in the rear of the unner and out of anyposition in which it could be of hindrance to him.` After the hostilities are concluded the chair will immediately swing back into position ready for use.

It will be apparent to those skilled in this particular art that theseat herein illustrated is adapted for uses in this particular art other than lon battle planes of. the type here in referred to and that for all such uses and' articularly for the use herein specifically eseribed the chair herein illustrated is eminentlyl satisfactory. lit will be apparent to those in other arts that the seat herein illustrated may be used for other purposes either existing now or which may hereafter arise. In addition it Will be readily apparent that the particular chair herein illustrated can be variously modiiied Without departing from the spirit of my invention, that such modifications are therefor Within my invention, and that my invention is not limited to the specific embodiment herein illustrated.v

li claim:

l. In combination, an ail-ship, a gun earriage rotatably carried thereby, a gunners seat, hooks detaehably engaging said Carriage, and flexible strips suspending said v seat from said hooks in such manner that said seat rotates with said carriage and may be readily pushed aside.

2. In combination, an airship, 'a gun carriage rotatably carried thereby, av'gunners seat, and means detachably suspending said seat from said carriage in such manner that said seat rotates with said carriage.

3. In combination, an airship, a gun carriage carried thereby, a gunners seat, and 'lexible means suspending said sea-t from said carriage in such manner as to permit said seat being readily pushed aside.

4. In combination, an airship, a gun earria-ge rotatably carried thereby, a gunners seat, and means detachably suspending said seat from said 'carriage in such manner that said seat rotates with said carriage and may be readily pushed aside. 5. In combination, an airship, a gun carriage carried th'ereby,a`gunners seat, hooks lf/detachably engaging said carriage, and enible strips suspending said seat from insonne said hooks in such manner as to permit said Seat being readily pushed aside.

6. lin combination, an airship, a gun carriage rotatably carried thereby, a gunners seat, and flexible means suspending said seat from said carriage in such manner that said seat rotates with said carriage and may be readiy pushed aside.

7. n combination, an airship, a gun carriage carried thereby, a gunners seat, and means detachably suspending said seat from said carriage in such manner as to permit said seat being readily pushed aside.

8. lin combinationz an airship, a gun carriage rotatably carried thereby, a gunners seat, hooks detachably engaging said carriage, and flexible strips suspending said seat from said hooks in such manner that said seat rotates with said carriage.

9. ln combination, an airship, a gun carriage carried thereby, a gunners seat, and means detachably suspending said seat from said Carriage.

10. ln combination, an airship, a gun carriage rotatably carried thereby, a gunners seat, and flexible strips suspending said seat from said carriage in such manner that said seat rotates with said carriage and may be readily pushed aside.

11. In combination, an airship, a gun car` riage carried thereby, a gunners seat, hooks detachably engaging said carriage, and

exible strips suspending said seat from' said hooks.

12. ln combination, an airship, a gun carriage carried thereby, a gunners seat, and flexible strips suspending said seat from said carriage in such manner as to permit said seat being readily pushed aside.

lin testimonywhereof, li hereunto affix my signature.

LESSETER C. MLLBURN lte 

